How to Remove Trees the Professional Way

There are times that you need to remove trees from your property for various reasons. The reason could be to clear the yard for a construction project you are planning, or you need to improve your landscape, or may be the trees have become a threat to life and properly already because it is decaying if not dead. Whatever the reason, you need to hire the services of a professional tree removal company to the job for you. Don’t think you can do the job alone, especially if you don’t have background on tree cutting.

Not a Kid’s Job

Trees can be big and tall, making them difficult to remove. Unless you are removing a young tree whose diameter is less than ten inches and less than 20 feet tall, don’t take it upon yourself. Nevertheless, you need to learn the basic steps in removing a tree, whether you want to do it alone or you want to hire a professional tree removal company.

To start, survey the area around your tree and check if there are any obstacles. Things to watch out are power lines and other utility cables in the immediate vicinity. The general rule would to give a clearance of about ten feet from the trees nearby. Next, check the tree’s natural lean because it is in that direction that the tree must fall. This means the undercut should the first cut you should make to guide the direction of the fall. In felling the tree, the back-cut must be at least 2 inches taller compared to the undercut’s bottom. Once the tree starts to fall, everyone must move away and stay in the opposite direction. Once the tree is down, cut its limbs into smaller pieces for easy disposal.

Bigger trees, those that are more than ten inches in diameter and are 20 feet high or more, need special equipment that only a professional tree service company is trained to handle. Trees this big and this tall are too risky to handle by amateurs.

Removing the stump from the ground is the next step after the limbs are removed. You will have four options here. If it’s a small tree, you can dig the stump out with a pick and a sharp spade. It will be hours of hard work, especially if the root system is deep and spread out wide. Or you can again let a professional tree removal company do it for you.

Premiere Tree Services of Beverly Hills

9663 Santa Monica Blvd, Number 732

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone: (424) 230-3557

beverlyhills@premieretreeservices.com

The History of Charleston's Palmetto Tree

Since the Revolutionary War the palmetto tree has been synonymous with South Carolina and a symbol of victory against the British. After Col. William Moultrie’s heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s island in 1776, the palmetto tree became an indelible emblem of triumph. In 1775 the original state flag depicted a crescent moon against a dark blue background, but was redesigned a year later to include the palm. The flag was adopted with its amendment in 1861. To this day, South Carolinians harbor a profound gratitude towards the tree that helped them fortify the coast and ward off a British invasion.  

Palmetto logs were used to construct the fort at Sullivan’s Island because they grew in abundance along the coast. Little did the troops – on either side – know how defensible the resilient trunks would be against British ammunition. The hearty stalks absorbed cannonball fire and sustained only minimal damage, leaving the fort intact. The British eventually retreated in 1782 and South Carolina laid claim to the city of Charleston.

Official State Tree

In 1939 the palmetto, also known as a sabal palm or cabbage palm, became the official state tree of South Carolina. Undoubtedly recalling the rich history of the state, the palm represents the fierce independence of the people who settled there.

Palmetto Tree Facts

Palmettos grow tall and lean, reaching heights of 40 to 50 feet. And though the tree can grow straight or curved, the fibrous trunk is surprisingly sturdy. The root system is equally strapping, making it easy to adapt to salty or dry soil conditions. A native to Spain, the palmetto could even thrive in desert landscapes such as Phoenix or Reno.  

Indicative of the coastal lands in and around Charleston, the palmetto also grows in parts of Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. Among the species of plants native to the southern United States, the palmetto is nearly hurricane proof, often the only tree standing after heavy rains and sea swells have snapped live oaks and pines. For that, it has become a favorite among coastal residents, often lining streets and shading homes.

Citizens of Charleston turn to professional tree services to trim the tall branches, which are susceptible to roaches and other sub-tropical insects. Palmetto trees are not only an important landscape feature throughout the city, the leaves are often used for salads and pickling.

Watering Your Trees

The ongoing drought in many parts of the country - obviously has many homeowners worried about the health of their trees. Quite a few people are wondering when and how they should be watering trees. Unfortunately a lot of home and property owners do not know how to water trees. Simply placing a sprinkler near trees or spraying a tree down with a hose will not necessarily water it. These methods will not work with trees because most trees get water through the roots. Water sprayed on the trunk or the surface of the ground may not reach the roots. Therefore you will have to water the tree through the roots. Fortunately there are a number of good methods of doing this. Watering a tree through the roots makes a lot of sense because you will actually use less water. The easiest method of watering a tree is ground soaking. This can be done by soaking the ground with water. A good way of doing this is to lay a hose right next to the tree and let water run out. You will have to leave the hose there for around 30 minutes to get the water to reach the roots. A variation on ground soaking is to use a sprinkler to soak the ground. If you use a sprinkler you should use a small one that covers the only area immediately around the tree. There are special tree sprinkles available from hardware stores for this purpose. Tree sprinklers can be attached to buried-sprinkler systems as well. In some cases it can be possible to use water diverted from an irrigation ditch for soaking. If you can simply let the ditch water run over the ground around the base of the tree. Another popular water conserving method of watering trees is to drip stakes. A drip stake is a metal or plastic stake that you drive into the ground at the base of the tree. Once the stake is in the ground a hose is attached to provide water. This method takes the water right to the roots so they are the most efficient method of tree watering. Deep drip stakes can be purchased from hardware and other stores and online for a fairly low price.

When to Water Trees Always water your trees when you notice that the ground has dried out. If the ground on your property becomes very hard it might be a good idea to water trees. You should also consider watering trees if it has not rained in your location for more than a month. All trees will need water but leafy species like Aspens and willows will need more. You should try watering because trees can die fairly quickly if there is no water in the ground. The last you will want is to pay for tree removal for your favorite poplars or spruce. If there has been drought in your area, it would be a good idea to have a professional tree service take a look at your property. The experts at such a service can tell you what care your trees need and takes the steps necessary to keep them alive. They can also tell you when and how you should be watering your trees.